Prospective Paralympian Taylor Gosens has clearly inherited her father's thirst for firsts as she seeks to become Australia's maiden female para-judo medallist.
Gosens is the daughter of three-time Paralympian Gerrard Gosens, who has climbed Mt Everest and will later this year attempt to become the first blind man to swim the English Channel.
But before Dad's marathon challenge, judoka Taylor is determined to forge her own path and clinch a spot at the Paralympics - less than two years after she realised she could compete at the top level.
"I originally moved to Sydney because I wanted to be in the music industry, and spent so long telling myself I wouldn't go down the same road (as my dad)," Gosens told AAP.
"But then I found judo and my competitiveness kicked in."
The 26-year-old has just four per cent vision as a result of aniridia, a condition which means she was born with no iris, and glaucoma.
She trains six days a week, mostly with coach Ivica Pavlinic, who represented New Zealand in judo at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Gosens has always enjoyed pushing herself physically, but admits she struggled to think of herself as "a traditional athlete" until she had Pavlinic's support.
"I'm not skinny or lean, but it was probably around the two-year mark where I started saying I was an athlete," Gosens said.
"I started doing competitions and you get to a point where it no longer hurts and you enjoy the learning and the challenge.
"That's where Ivica came into it, because it really takes one person to be with you, for the Paralympics or not, to help you through it."
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gosens has upped the ante, overcoming an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction to rise to No.16 in the world in the J2 70kg+ category.
Gosens says para-judo is at a much more nascent stage than other sports for visually impaired athletes in Australia.
She often has to compete and train against non visually impaired athletes as she gears up for a pivotal period in the Paralympic cycle.
Strong showings in tournaments in Turkey and Georgia over the next two months will offer Gosens a path to qualification for the Paris Games that begin in late August.
"I feel strong," Gosens said.
"The experience of competing overseas - the jetlag, the atmosphere, the language and figuring out your surroundings - brings on your nerves.
"You're standing next to your competitor and you go, 'S**t, she's big' and Ivica is there saying to me, 'You've got this'.
"My judo improves every time I go overseas and the ACL has, if anything, really helped me because all my body my grips are great.
"I've probably got a higher chance of a podium in LA (the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028)."
